New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-27
DIR. NEWBERRYS VTEWS OF EARTHQUAKES
HE OPPOSES THE OPINIONS HELD BY SIR WILLIAM
TnoMPsoN-A SHOCK IN NEw-ENGLAND EVERY
YEAR.

YEAR.
The recent dispatch from Summerville near Charles
tom giving the information that q shock Of earthquake
| accompanied with the now familiar roaring sound
had been experienced, soon after tho cable
message announcing earthquake shocks In Turkestan'
that many people disposed TO believe In the
certainty Of some connection between the Two phe-
nomeDa,
gentleman, in fact, called at THE TRIBUNE once
ON June H. Immediately after the of the disaster
in Asia Minor, and predicted renewal of the seismic
shocks in South Carolina. AS that prediction was
apparently verified, though after interval 0f nine
days reporter went to ascertain the views of Pro
fessor J. s. Newbcrry, OF Columbia College, who Is
recognized as an authority seismic disturbances
The Professor plunged at once into discussion on
the subject saying that he opposed to the views
of Sir william Thompson and others who denied that
the central part Of tho earth was molten
"Thatn said he, /" Is the of the matter can
only give you my views and you must not ask me for
the views of other people To your question as to
whether there any connection between the SHOCKS
experienced In Southern Europe and Western Asia
and those of Charleston and Mexico decidedly an
swcr in the negative. What IS All earthquake? once
the answer would have been that 1t uncom-
pleted effort of Nature establish volcano, but now
the current of scientific opinion Is that the volcano Is
but an Incident In the business An earthquake Is
the result Of the contraction Of the earth's crust
caused by loss of heat through radiation. Did you
ever keep ounce for the sake of the perfume among
your linen 2"
"Yes,n was the answer, al do 1t every year."
"Tbon You must have noticed how the ounce
became wrinlded as It contracted by drying up Now
that IS what happening to the earth, and the great
mountain chains have been built up those wrinkles
In the ounce were, by the overlapping and folding
up and crushing Of substance through the contraction
caused by loss Of heat Therefore line of mountains
is line of weakness, and as the process of contrac
ton Is always going ON there will always be earth
quake shocks somewhere along mountain chains. Now
volcano the result of matter being thrust upward
from the molten Interior, and 1t usually is so pro-
truded In great faults or assures like the Comstock"
DO you think that there Is any indication OF a
line OF volcanoes being established from that one Just
started I'm tho sierra Madre in Sonora through Texas
and and north to the Bald Mountain, OF whose
eccentric conduct so much has been wrttcnl"
"No; but / believe that there IS now In existence
a line Of volcanic action from the Sierra Madre to
Arizona, which runs along long-cxtended fault
stretching from Sonora into Arizona. The San Fran
cisco group of mountains in Arizona are, believe,
volcanoes, and far from extinct Mt Taylor In New
Mexico Is in the category. The Cascade Noun
talns the Pacific slope contain volcanoes that are
still active, such as Mts. Shasta, Rainier and Hood.
eyes but Bald Mountain, Professorl Are the
Mleghanlcs entirely outside Of all these interesting
developments ~
"You seem to want volcano on the Atlantic side'
"Are there hopes for Bald Mountainf'
"Nore, / believe"
"Arc there hopes of volcano rising from the
sea somewhere to the southeast Of CharlestonF'
"Nono that an Of; but you ought to have
lived I'm the Triassc Age, which was the volcanic
epoch Of this part of America, and then you might
have seen the building Of the Palisades. With regard
to your Idea of volcano to the southeast Of Charles
tom based upon the ndubitabe fact that many
shocks travelled from the southeast to the northwest
though the great majority were from other points
have considered that fact, and have come to The
conclusion that which has certainly con
trbuted to disturb the static equilibrium Of the earth
crust Is to be found I'm the deposition upon the sea
bottom u sedmentary layers caused by erosions. AS
these accumulate they not only Impose new burdens
npon the underlying rocks. but by acting as blankets
and preventing the escape OF heat they promote the
softenng OF the bottom, which yields 70 lateral
pressure, and Is forced up In series of faults and
folds have no doubt this Is cause Of The earth
quake vibrations which have been so frequent along
Atlantic coast -
al recently received from friond in Boston, Mr.
W. 7. Brlghams Historical Notes on the Earthquakes
of New En- gland from 1898 10 1862 ana there were
o31 of them n year You may be qidte sure
that these were strictly local, and proceeded nom
faults IN mountain chains or from the effect VI seul
menfarv deDosits ON the bottom